Hakuin's Butter Pill Meditation

There is a remedy especially efficacious for debilitated people. Its properties for
relieving exhaustion of the vital breath are particularly wondrous. It counteracts a
rush of blood to the head, warms the legs, settles the bowels, brightens the eye,
augments good wisdom, and is effective in casting aside all evil thoughts.

The recipe for one dose of the soft butter pill is as follows: one part of the "real
aspect of all things, one part each of the self and all things, and the realization
that these are false, three parts of the immediate realization of Nirvana, two
parts of no desires, two or three parts of the nonduality of activity and quietude,
one and a half parts of spongegourd skin, and one part of the discarding of all
delusions. Steep these seven ingredients in the juice of patience for one night, dry
in the shade and then mash. Season with a dash of the six perfections (1) then
shape everything into a ball the size of a duck's egg and set it securely on your
head.

Practitioners who are just beginning their study should not concern themselves with
the properties of the medicine nor amount used, but should merely contemplate the
fact that a delicately scented soft butter-like object the size of a duck's egg is
suddenly on their heads. When a sick person wishes to sue this remedy he (or she)
should spread for himself a thick cushion, hold his back straight, adjust his eyes,
and sit in a correct posture. He should then shift gently to position himself properly,
and set about meditating.

Repeat three times the words: Of the essentials of preserving life, nourishing the
breath has no peer. When the breath is exhausted the body dies.(2) By doing so,
one can truly carry out this contemplation. Those who have this duck egg with the
consistency of soft butter on their heads feel a strange sensation as the whole head
becomes moist. Gradually this feeling flows downward. The shoulders, elbow, chest,
diaphragm, lungs, liver, stomach, backbone, and buttocks all gradually become
damp. At this time the various accumulations in the chest, and those of lower back
pain, stiffness and constipation all drop down at will, like water flowing naturally to a
low place. This sensation is felt throughout the body, and it circulates moving
downward, warming the legs, until it reaches the soles of the feet, where it stops.

The practitioner should then repeat the same contemplation. The overflow that
penetrates downward sinks in and accumulates until it steeps the body in warmth,
just as a good physician gathers together various aromatic herbs, brews them, and
pours the concoction into the bath. The practitioner feels that his body from the
navel down is steeped in this moisture. When this contemplation is being practiced,
because it is induced only by mental activity, the sense of smell becomes aware of
exotic odors, the sense of touch becomes wondrously acute, and the body and mind
become attuned. Suddenly the accumulations dissolve, the bowels and stomach are
harmonized, the skin becomes radiant, and the energies increase greatly.

If this contemplation is conscientiously brought to maturation, what disease cannot

be cured, what magical art cannot be performed? This is indeed the secret method
for maintaining health, the wondrous art of longevity."